We will remember them

Date: 11 November 2016

Ahead of Remembrance Sunday services across the country, the Church joins with the nation as it remembers all the servicemen and women killed in conflict.

Marking the day in 1918 when the guns finally fell silent after long years of fighting, this Armistice day the Church is offering a powerful prayer of hope and remembrance as the nation looks to the future. The prayer has been published as part of a moving video which is available to view here.

Ever-living God,

We remember those whom you have gathered from the storm of war into the peace of your presence;

May that same peace calm our fears, bring justice to all peoples and establish harmony among the nations,

Through Jesus Christ our Lord,

Amen.

In addition to the prayer, the Church has spoken to representatives of the Army, RAF and the Navy on the importance of Remembrance day. The interviews with Segun Balogun, Chaplain to a number of ships in the Royal Navy, Lt Col Jane Hunter, Education Lead at Sandhurst and Air Commodore David Cooper, Joint Force Air Component Commander at RAF High Wycombe can be found on the Church's Soundcloud.

Becky Clark, Senior Cathedrals Officer has published a blog detailing how the nation’s 42 Cathedrals are utilising a government grant to help Cathedrals be centres of commemoration and remembrance throughout the 1914-18 centenary.

Becky said: “At the time of Remembrance Day the Church of England plays many roles in commemorating the sacrifices of war. But perhaps one of its most important functions is to ensure that what was lost is nevertheless not forgotten; that the dead, though gone, are remembered still.

“This year all of England’s cathedrals have been particularly reflecting on the centenary of the First World War and finding ways to bring what seems now a largely historical event into the modern consciousness.” The blog is available to read here.

The Church continues to help ensure that the importance of Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday will never be lost. We will remember them.